Garage Door Injuries By the Numbers

Statistically speaking, you are unlikely to have ever experienced a garage door related injury, or even know someone who has. This may start to give you a false sense of security about your garage door. After all, it’s equipped with safety features, so it must be safe, right? The reality is that garage doors may start off very safe, if all possible safety features are included, yet become extremely hazardous if they are not properly maintained.

Every year thousands of Americans who probably thought their own garage doors were very safe become injured. Don’t let yourself or a loved one become part of these statistics! Instead, educate yourself on the most common types of garage door injuries and how they can be prevented using the following information from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance Survey.

Injury Type:Pinching

Americans Affected: Every year, over 7,550 Americans suffer pinching injuries, most often when fingers get caught between the panels of the garage door. Pinching fingers between the rollers and the tracks is also common. A little pinch may not seem like a big deal, until you stop to think about the forces involved in moving a heavy garage door. Then you can begin to understand why in some cases the fingers are so badly pinched they have to be amputated.

Prevention: The most important step you can take to prevent pinching is to keep fingers away from the garage door in the first place. However, if you have small kids you can get added peace of mind by choosing a garage door that has a pinch-proof panel design. Frequent professional maintenance will also help keep pinching injury risks low.

Injury Type: Crushing

Americans Affected: According to NEISS data, over 2,200 Americans will be injured each year by a garage door falling on them from above. About a hundred of these injuries typically occur when individuals unwisely try to run beneath a garage door as it is closing. The remaining injuries can be attributed to mechanical problems with the garage door and opener equipment.

Prevention: The best way to prevent sudden garage door failures that could trap a person beneath the door is to inspect your garage door regularly. You should do a visual inspection once per month yourself, and invest in a professional garage door inspection and maintenance visit each year. This way, you can avoid getting taken by surprise by issues like broken garage door springs that could cause the door to drop suddenly.

Injury Type: Lacerations

Americans Affected: About 800 Americans will suffer lacerations when the window glass in their garage doors breaks.

Prevention: This type of garage door injury is becoming less and less common as older doors with regular glass are replaced with new doors that feature shatter-resistant glass. This type of glass is similar to the glass used in car windows, so when it breaks it creates small dull chunks rather than wicked shards. If you need help replacing an old garage door with dangerous glass with a safer model, contact Dynamic Garage Door for help.